Well, the odds are, if you're not here for the first time, you've probably heard the name "Živé Kvety". But even if you are as familiar with the band as I am, you couldn't possibly imagine their strange and peculiar unplugged quality.
What you can however is to feel the atmosphere from the pictures:
P.S.
Just a several more notes:
- their producer, a Le Payaco singer Tomáš Sloboda, a known lover of spinning the black circles was to appear at the concert at some point. Well, he didn't. Shame for him, I must say. At least I have left the place with a long playing record, Zive Kvety's last - Spúšť (Wasteland). Check it out.
- I have experimented with new Picasa release for these pictures, Picasa 3.9. Screwed up on the Google plus front (whatever that is), but quite nice on coloring the images. What do you think?
Monday 12 December 2011
Sunday 27 November 2011
2011-Nov-18 Živé Kvety S Magorom
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| From s1nko memorabilia |
I would like to dedicate the following set of photos to Ivan Martin Jirous, aka "Magor", an inspiring persona of Czech Underground, who was putting on life like a sombrero, as Živé Kvety have put it in their song "S Magorom", so vivaciously performed last Friday in Bratislava's prime underground pub, U Očka (Moe's)
The photos are best to be viewed while listening to this recent recording of the song "Sloboda" (Freedom), dedicated to all people free in their minds, common, freaks and geniuses alike.
And here are the photos:
Tuesday 1 November 2011
2011-10-21 Gangway(SK,PL) Jazz!
I have finally managed to see my sister's Polish jazz band, and what a concert it was! Compared to to the night before show (which was an afterparty for the 20th anniversary edition Jazz Prešov), the setting in Košice was much more intimate, as-a-matter-of-fact a private show for the owner of the Piano Cafe (who had forgotten/chose not to promote the gig with my poster to the wide public) The place in itself was really small, unfortunately with almost no stage lights (and stage as such), but the sound was great. The show was split up into three parts, with setlist as follows (that's my sister's handwriting, btw):
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| From 2011-10-21 Gangway at Jazz Piano, Košice |
So, gangway, it doesn't matter if you haven't managed to grab more audience by your acapella singing and presentation before the concert in Kosice's street. Because you have succeeded in making your hard core of listeners present extremely happy and content. And that is not of small importance ;)
PS: The next city on Gangway's concert list is YOURS, so beware and prepare!
2011-10-19 Longital(SK)+Zapaska(UA) U Očka (BA,SK)
Music is bordeless, and I am passportless, so thanks to an unbelievably amazing duo Zapaska for making the effort to come to me first.. (and since I have probably managed to miss Zapaska in Prešov and Krakow before, thanks to Longital for bringing them here) See you in Ukraine soon!
Btw, I am forever grateful to my girlfriend for coming in, hanging out, taking photos of both bands with me and then letting me use her laptop to recover the ones we have managed to erase in the process..
Tuesday 18 October 2011
Gangway in Eastern Slovakia!
This is my poster for the upcoming show of my sister's band Gangway, based in Cieszyn, Poland.
This time, the photos on the poster are not mine, but by the band's friend Kacper Gunia - http://cakper.net/
If you click on the picture, it will get you to the site of the event on facebook.
They are available to see on:
- štvrtok/thu 20.10. o 22:30 / Prešovská Christiania (afterparty jazzove dni)
- piatok/fri 21.10. o 19:30 / Piano Café v Košiciach
I haven't mentioned the band so far, but I really recommend seeing them. If you make it to the show in Kosice on Friday, there's a high probability you'll see me with a camera as well ;)
http://www.myspace.com/gangwaypl
Sunday 16 October 2011
2011-10-08 S1NK0 Opening - "S1NK0 Vernisáž"
As I have just happily announced in an earlier post, my photo exhibition: S1NK0 - 10 years of Slnko Records, is up and running! But not only that, what a launch it was!
As you can see from the pictures above, we've managed to get the photos to Next Apache just on time to see a wave of friends and people interested in Slnko Records flood the little space of Ben's café.
My best wishes go to Daniel Salontay from Longital, founder of Slnko Records with Shina, who had managed to awake his cold on a photo/video shoot two day before the opening and therefore stayed in bed for the whole day, unfortunately.
Therefore, there was no Longital concert, but the entertainment for the evening was solely provided by Andrew Hillard and his band Frank Winter, who had managed to entertain us acoustically and unplugged, breaking several strings and going on late into the night, improvising, covering the likes of Pearl Jam/Led Zeppelin and fairly passing the mark of any imaginable curfew.
Thank you Andy, thank you Frank Winter, thank you friends, family, Shina, and all who had found the time to come last Saturday night. It was unbelievable.
Go see for yourself to Next Apache Café at Panenská 28 in Bratislava, until the end of October!
P.S.: There was a hint of Longital performing again some time the exhibition ends, plus a possible continuation of the exhibition in other parts of western/eastern Slovakia. I will keep you posted, but you've heard it here first ;)
S1NK0 Installed and running!
What a week it has been since the launching of my "S1NK0: 10 years of Slnko Records" photo exhibition at Ben Pascoe's Next Apache café in Bratislava.
First off, the last minute preparations last week went just fine! During a busy, busy week with teaching from 7AM to 6.30PM I've managed to do a final selection of the photos for the exhibition (the selection which I will post here shortly with comments on each photo) and thanks to lacnetonery.sk with their excellent prices and free personal delivery I've also managed to get my Epson up and running.
After a late Thursday afternoon online chat with person running lacnetonery.sk I've found just the right paper to install on the hand-made cardboard panels just in time. I am really really happy with how the photos appear on the 190gr Epson Archival Matte paper. It's very similar to what my favourite band, Pearl Jam, uses on their vinyl booklets and Deep Magazine.
At last but not least I would like to thank Nadja, the "slnko" (sun) in my life for her help and patience in selection of the pictures, getting them print out, getting the right kind of panels, selecting the colour for them, and so on and so forth.
Invaluable.
I must say I was really exhausted and probably also a bit financially broke after all the fuss to get the photos installed on time to Ben's café, but as you will see from the next post recapturing the Saturday night, it was really worth all the time and money - because of the friends and family I've managed to gather for the opening.
You can see the photos and read about the opening here, or better, visit the exhibition yourself in Next Apache / Nech sa páči at Panenská 28, Bratislava until the end of October.
Thank you.
Sunday 18 September 2011
Planning S1NK0
I got an extra small beer for this sketch at Next Apache today. I am trying to find out just how much wall space I've got for the upcoming S1NK0 photo exhibition.
In other news:
- Shina, founder of Slnko Records, confirmed herself and her band Longital, for a special acoustic performance at the event on Oct 8, 19:00. The live show will symbolically start at 20.01
- thus I have created an official fb S1NK0 event
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=176359809109103&ref=ts
- I have created this through my new artist page, which you can "like" in the right column of this blog, or here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ondrej-Ko/107166832712336
That's all folks.
Friday 16 September 2011
Announcing my S1NK0! live/photo exhibition, opening Oct 8
You have heard it here first, please spread the word ;)
Details:
My first long term and public photo exhibition will showcase the Slnko Records artists I've had the honor to see over the past few years. The opening and exhibition will take place on Oct 8, 2011 in Canadian Ben Pascoe'sNext Apache cafe (homophone for Slovak "nech sa páči") in Bratislava. First artists confirmed to perform in special, acoustic, intimate setting will be the founders of Slnko Records, Longital, and also an English songwriter, Andrew Hillard, alias Frank Winter.
More to come!
Tuesday 13 September 2011
2011-09-08 Frank Winter U Očka
Frank Winter = Andrew Hillard
When we've first encountered Andy (or Frank as everyone calls him after his band), he was backed up by members Peter and Agnes from Živé Kvety, as a guest for their show in Bratislava's punk club "Randal". Later we saw him at another rock venue/pub, battling over and winning attention with a group of rowdy Finnish fans who came over for the 2011 Ice Hockey World Cup.
His unique folk sound wasn't out of place in any of those spaces. But at U Očka (Moe's), he was at his best. Starting as a two piece band with a harmonica player stepping in (mainly to improvise, sadly), continuing as a five piece group, and closing solo on his own after a short break, he was full of energy and ideas. Halfway through the show he even got off the stage to make a round around the venue, at each table giving away a free compilation CD-R, "Memento", made by himself.
When I met him the next day, he enthusiastically described U Očka as - "that place's got popiči [fucking great] sound!" and praised the owner, Rahan, for equipping the venue with American gear and having the sound set up by an American firm specifically for the space. Overall, Andy proved to be a really friendly and talkative chap.
And all that after I mistook him for the owner of the café where I met him, a Canadian named Ben Pascoe. Mistaking Andy was silly on my part, but understandable as I was supposed to meet Ben and it was Andy who greeted me at the place and actually offered me a table and took my order (!). Later I got a five minute chance to meet the real Ben - after he was woken up for a class, fellow teacher as it turns out. In a matter of minutes we managed to agree on a date, music guests and a space to showcase my concert and studio photos of Slnko Records artists (you can already find many of these on photos here at the blog - Longital, Živé Kvety, Kolowrat, Hvozd, Frank Winter, ...)
And, the best part - when I got back to Andy, he agreed to take part in my coming October photo showcase at Next Apache, the S1NK0, as Frank Winter.
More on that this Thursday, when I will officially start promoting the showcase at Dobry Trh on Panenska St, Bratislava, where Next Apache is located, right opposite the square with Presidential Palace.
But you've heard it here first.
"S1NK0 by Ondrej.Ko" at Next Apache, Bratislava, Oct 8 2011
Wednesday 24 August 2011
2008-09-11,12 First Couch Surfing ctd. - Valladolid, Spain
(back to setting up our first couch surfing experience)
After a perfect flight with candid view we arrived to Valladolid airport ten minutes ahead of schedule, which is not at all a Spanish thing to do. You might think that Luton is small, but Valladolid airport is a larger bus station, really. And it was by bus that we got to the very centre of the city, which was some 40 minutes away. We stepped out of the bus into more than we could imagine.
You see, there is a completely different world once you leave London for Northern Spain. Especially when you enter the city through Campo Grande, Valladolid's central park located just at the doorstep of the bus station. It was a bright sunny day, and we walked to the park almost precisely at noon. The surreal Mediterranean vegetation provided shade and a small lake in the centre of the park provided enough fresh air for us to breath out and relax after a journey that started early in the morning.
Compared to the rush and pulsating life of London's parks during sunny days, Campo Grande was sleepy and strangely comforting. As you can see from the pictures I took in the park, we could count the creatures we met in this new environment on fingers of our hands - a peacock parading down the lifeless paths, a goose making its way without waking a tramp occupying a nearby bench, an old man dressed as a sailor maneuvering a small boat ("La Paloma")in a small pond, a family quietly enjoying watching birds.
Leaving the winding paths of Campo Grande, we have discovered more curious aspects of a city both modern and festive (during the fiesta nights), historic and calm(during) siesta. Take for example the first structure we have laid our eyes on:"The unfinished Cathedral, commissioned by King Philip II and designed by the architect Juan de Herrera in the 16th century, following a mannierist style perhaps influenced by Michelangelo. The church is unfinished due to financial problems {apparently he got a better job in another city}and its nave was not opened until 1668. Years later, in 1730, Master Churriguera finished the work on the main front." (wiki) As you can see, the cathedral has not been finished by now - and in contrast with the one in Barcelona - it might just never be.
Nevertheless, we have enjoyed a short walk throughout the city streets, before we met with a Czech student Tomas who took us to an apartment he shared with more students, one Czech and one Hungarian. With astonishment we have learned that he had in fact just arrived to Valladolid days earlier for his 6 months Erasmus study stay. Despite this and despite us being his first couch surfers (and him being our first host), he had prepared a place to stay for us, where we could prepare a snack, take a shower, and relax. In the evening he showed us to city centre, which was far more livelier than during the day.
The highlight of the evening was the concert of Spanish group Dover, promoting their album "2" at the Plaza Mayor, which I believe was part of a special fiesta celebrating 100 years of the city hall building, housed here (Martin, on the other hand, says they were connected with CristóbalColón - Columbus) Of course, everybody took part in the local celebrations - families, local youth, musicians, shop owners, city clerks and even the olds - each in their own fashion, sharing common space. The night had left us dehydrated from all the dance, sangria we drank and peanuts (free with our sangria - very tasty, very very salty).
In the morning however, Kika and I managed to get up early enough to do some exploring of the city. There were many things that had taken us by surprise. We had a hearty laugh over the local kitchen-percussionists, we were taken aback by seclusion and stillness of a beautiful market (as my former summer school mate explains in his blog Englishman in Madrid, it is very Valladolid), fortress-like look of the San Benito Monastery, picturesque portal of the San Gregorio college, the Gothic/Romanesque style of Santa Antigua Church, desolateness of Art Noveau Merkado Del Val market and by other notable sights.
Among the things we saw, The National Sculpture Museum in San Gregorio College resonates most within me. The polychrome sculptures of crucified Christ and his disciples were moving beyond belief, with their mix of realism and even expressionism. A perfect antidote to this procession of passion and pain was a 15th century craftmen's Betlehem, full of extraordinary detail and handiwork put in by the craft guilds of that time.
Our day of exploration just wouldn't be complete without a proper fiesta night. We had met with Martin and his host Jesus, and at the Erasmus bar Sotabanco we were also introduced to Tomas's co-students from different, mainly Spanish speaking countries. A great bilingual exception was a Puerto-Rican Sasha, who was very talkative and with whom we had arranged to meet the next day in Salamanca, the medieval heart of Castile. A certainly entertaining night continued with Jesus jokingly asserting that if we leave before 4AM, we would be returned to the bars in the city centre by the police.... (to be continued)
After a perfect flight with candid view we arrived to Valladolid airport ten minutes ahead of schedule, which is not at all a Spanish thing to do. You might think that Luton is small, but Valladolid airport is a larger bus station, really. And it was by bus that we got to the very centre of the city, which was some 40 minutes away. We stepped out of the bus into more than we could imagine.
 |
| From 2008-09-11,12 Valladolid |
Compared to the rush and pulsating life of London's parks during sunny days, Campo Grande was sleepy and strangely comforting. As you can see from the pictures I took in the park, we could count the creatures we met in this new environment on fingers of our hands - a peacock parading down the lifeless paths, a goose making its way without waking a tramp occupying a nearby bench, an old man dressed as a sailor maneuvering a small boat ("La Paloma")in a small pond, a family quietly enjoying watching birds.
Leaving the winding paths of Campo Grande, we have discovered more curious aspects of a city both modern and festive (during the fiesta nights), historic and calm(during) siesta. Take for example the first structure we have laid our eyes on:"The unfinished Cathedral, commissioned by King Philip II and designed by the architect Juan de Herrera in the 16th century, following a mannierist style perhaps influenced by Michelangelo. The church is unfinished due to financial problems {apparently he got a better job in another city}and its nave was not opened until 1668. Years later, in 1730, Master Churriguera finished the work on the main front." (wiki) As you can see, the cathedral has not been finished by now - and in contrast with the one in Barcelona - it might just never be.
Nevertheless, we have enjoyed a short walk throughout the city streets, before we met with a Czech student Tomas who took us to an apartment he shared with more students, one Czech and one Hungarian. With astonishment we have learned that he had in fact just arrived to Valladolid days earlier for his 6 months Erasmus study stay. Despite this and despite us being his first couch surfers (and him being our first host), he had prepared a place to stay for us, where we could prepare a snack, take a shower, and relax. In the evening he showed us to city centre, which was far more livelier than during the day.
The highlight of the evening was the concert of Spanish group Dover, promoting their album "2" at the Plaza Mayor, which I believe was part of a special fiesta celebrating 100 years of the city hall building, housed here (Martin, on the other hand, says they were connected with CristóbalColón - Columbus) Of course, everybody took part in the local celebrations - families, local youth, musicians, shop owners, city clerks and even the olds - each in their own fashion, sharing common space. The night had left us dehydrated from all the dance, sangria we drank and peanuts (free with our sangria - very tasty, very very salty).
 |
| From 2008-09-11,12 Valladolid |
In the morning however, Kika and I managed to get up early enough to do some exploring of the city. There were many things that had taken us by surprise. We had a hearty laugh over the local kitchen-percussionists, we were taken aback by seclusion and stillness of a beautiful market (as my former summer school mate explains in his blog Englishman in Madrid, it is very Valladolid), fortress-like look of the San Benito Monastery, picturesque portal of the San Gregorio college, the Gothic/Romanesque style of Santa Antigua Church, desolateness of Art Noveau Merkado Del Val market and by other notable sights.
Among the things we saw, The National Sculpture Museum in San Gregorio College resonates most within me. The polychrome sculptures of crucified Christ and his disciples were moving beyond belief, with their mix of realism and even expressionism. A perfect antidote to this procession of passion and pain was a 15th century craftmen's Betlehem, full of extraordinary detail and handiwork put in by the craft guilds of that time.
Our day of exploration just wouldn't be complete without a proper fiesta night. We had met with Martin and his host Jesus, and at the Erasmus bar Sotabanco we were also introduced to Tomas's co-students from different, mainly Spanish speaking countries. A great bilingual exception was a Puerto-Rican Sasha, who was very talkative and with whom we had arranged to meet the next day in Salamanca, the medieval heart of Castile. A certainly entertaining night continued with Jesus jokingly asserting that if we leave before 4AM, we would be returned to the bars in the city centre by the police.... (to be continued)
Monday 8 August 2011
2008 place/date
a nostalgic view of my first year spent more abroad than at home - most of the pictures were still taken with a small digital camera. Do you recognize any of this?
2008-02-22 Neil Young / Wien, Kongresshalle
2008-02-23 PPE / BA, Adyloď
2008-03-15 Kolowrat (3)/ PO, Christiania
2008-03-19 Živé Kvety(5), Kolowrat (4) / BA, Subclub
2008-04-01 Dalla Matina Alla Sera, Chiki liki projekty, Abusus, Vrbovski
Vitazi II, Mloci / PO, Hl. Námestie
2008-06-04 Vidiek, Laura a její tygři, Posledné Decembrové Dni, Kolowrat (5)/
PO, Hl. Namestie
2008-06-6,7,8 Spiš Trip//
2008-06-13 Živé Kvety(6) / BA Klub Za Zrkadlom
London's Burning Summer
2008-06-18 Babyshambles pre-party and afterparty / The Mass, Brixton, London, UK![]()
2008-06-20 RCA, Architecture Day, British Sea Power / London, NHM
2008-07-14 Longital (4) / London, Slaughtered Lamb
2008-07-23 Liam Finn / London, Rough Trade East
2008-07-30,31 Mudhoney / London, The Forum
2008-08-?? "King Lear" / London, The Shakespear's Globe
2008-08-22 "Timon of the Athens" / London, The Shakespear's Globe
2008-08-24 GET LOADED IN THE PARK - Noah and the Whale, The Hives, Gogol
Bordello, Supergrass, Iggy Pop / London, Clapham Common
2008-08-28 BBC Proms: New York Philharmonic Orchestra / London, Royal Albert
Hall
2008-08-31 Summer Opening of the State Rooms / London, Buckingham Palace
2008-09-02 The Breeders / London, Rough Trade East
2008-09-05 "Midsummer's Night Dream" / London, The Shakespear's Globe
2008-09-08 Blind Melon / London, Astoria
1st Couch Surfing
2008-09-11 Dover (Madrid) / Plaza Mayor, Valladolid, Spain
2008-09-11,12 / Valladolid, Spain![]()
/
2008-09-13 Medina Del Campo, Salamanca
2008-09-14 Tordesillas
2008-10-9,10,11 Festiwal Filmow Optimisticznych / Rzeszow, WDK
2008-10-16 Alicetea / Rzeszow, Plus
2008-10-18 Erasmus trip / Krakow, Wieliczka
2008-10-29 "Nosoroh" / Prešov, DAD
2008-11-08,09 Hiking in Slovak paradise / Sokolia Dolina, Slovenský Raj, SK/
2008-11-09 Longital (5) / Prešov, Christiania
2008-11-9,10,11 Akademický Prešov / Prešov, DAD
2008-11-19 Franz Ferdinand / Warszawa, Stodola
2008-11-29 Kolowrat (6) at SloFFest/ Krakow, Lokator
2008-12-02 Jarek Nohavica / Krakow, HK
2008-12-19 Mňága a Žďorp / Prešov,
2008-12-30 KĽUD: Dze je preceda? / Kladzany, SK
2008-02-22 Neil Young / Wien, Kongresshalle
2008-02-23 PPE / BA, Adyloď
2008-03-15 Kolowrat (3)/ PO, Christiania
2008-03-19 Živé Kvety(5), Kolowrat (4) / BA, Subclub
2008-04-01 Dalla Matina Alla Sera, Chiki liki projekty, Abusus, Vrbovski
Vitazi II, Mloci / PO, Hl. Námestie
2008-06-04 Vidiek, Laura a její tygři, Posledné Decembrové Dni, Kolowrat (5)/
PO, Hl. Namestie
2008-06-6,7,8 Spiš Trip
//2008-06-13 Živé Kvety(6) / BA Klub Za Zrkadlom
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| From 2008-07-31 Mudhoney!!! |
2008-06-18 Babyshambles pre-party and afterparty / The Mass, Brixton, London, UK
2008-06-20 RCA, Architecture Day, British Sea Power / London, NHM
2008-07-14 Longital (4) / London, Slaughtered Lamb
2008-07-23 Liam Finn / London, Rough Trade East
2008-07-30,31 Mudhoney / London, The Forum
2008-08-?? "King Lear" / London, The Shakespear's Globe
2008-08-22 "Timon of the Athens" / London, The Shakespear's Globe
2008-08-24 GET LOADED IN THE PARK - Noah and the Whale, The Hives, Gogol
Bordello, Supergrass, Iggy Pop / London, Clapham Common
2008-08-28 BBC Proms: New York Philharmonic Orchestra / London, Royal Albert
Hall
2008-08-31 Summer Opening of the State Rooms / London, Buckingham Palace
2008-09-02 The Breeders / London, Rough Trade East
2008-09-05 "Midsummer's Night Dream" / London, The Shakespear's Globe
2008-09-08 Blind Melon / London, Astoria
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| From 2008-09-13 Spain - Medina Del Campo, Salamanca |
2008-09-11 Dover (Madrid) / Plaza Mayor, Valladolid, Spain
2008-09-11,12 / Valladolid, Spain
2008-09-13 Medina Del Campo, Salamanca
2008-09-14 Tordesillas
2008-10-9,10,11 Festiwal Filmow Optimisticznych / Rzeszow, WDK
2008-10-16 Alicetea / Rzeszow, Plus
2008-10-18 Erasmus trip / Krakow, Wieliczka
2008-10-29 "Nosoroh" / Prešov, DAD
2008-11-08,09 Hiking in Slovak paradise / Sokolia Dolina, Slovenský Raj, SK
/2008-11-09 Longital (5) / Prešov, Christiania
2008-11-9,10,11 Akademický Prešov / Prešov, DAD
2008-11-19 Franz Ferdinand / Warszawa, Stodola
2008-11-29 Kolowrat (6) at SloFFest/ Krakow, Lokator
2008-12-02 Jarek Nohavica / Krakow, HK
2008-12-19 Mňága a Žďorp / Prešov,
2008-12-30 KĽUD: Dze je preceda? / Kladzany, SK
Sunday 7 August 2011
2008-Sept: Our first (fiesta) couch surfing experience
After spending three months in heart of London (an experience that had started this blog), working as an intern, exploring the city with friends and family alike, I was ready to hit south.
The opportunity to change climate from London's 4-seasons-in-a-day to Spanish sunny siesta came along with my friend Martin (from We follow the sun). After inviting him to join me in exploring London's possibilities, Martin brought the carefree attitude and imaginativeness of a true traveler. Inspired by his stories, and by being "stuck" in London, we have decided to honor the end of my internship with one final trip, following the sun. For destination we chose Valladolid, a small modern city in Northern Spain, where Martin had spent few eventful party days as a member of BEST (Board of European Students of Technology). For date - the final weekend before my last day at the Institute of Linguists, Monday Sept 15th. Following advices of my former roommate (who was flying to Italy every other week to visit his girlfriend) and Martin's own experience, we booked a Ryanair flight two weeks in advance.
With my sister Kika, who was visiting me for those last two weeks, we have discovered a 50p Rough Guide for Spain in a rough basement of one of the We-Sell-Buy-Trade shops in Nothing Hill. The book proved invaluable later on our trip.
So with our plane tickets booked (75£ round trip for the three of us, those were the days..), travel guide prepared, my first and only 2 days leave off work, we were almost all set. One last thing missing was accommodation. That's where Martin's couch surfing experience came in. He had explained to us how he hosted people back in his home city in Poprad, Slovakia and how in return he was hosted by by friendly couch surfers in Spain, Poland, Estonia - all in the course of one month.
It goes without saying, that we were very much intrigued by all this. Traveling the world, meeting locals and travelers, all for free. How is that possible? Well - he said - you should become couch surfers too, and find out yourselves! He helped to set up our profiles at http://www.couchsurfing.org, wrote our first reference (reading the references written about possible surfers/hosts helps you to know them better) and helped with our first couch search. We searched for hosts in the Valladolid,Castile y Leon, Spain area (nowadays it comes up with 235 people ;) and then, following Martin's instructions wrote a few couch requests and waited for the answers. Martin was approached by a first-time local host by the name of Jesus Alberto (name Jesus is very common in Spain), while our request was positively answered by a Czech Erasmus student Tomáš. Our first couch surfing experience (first of many) could begin.
So, on the eve of Thursday the 11th of Sept we were filled with a range of emotions. Nervous, anxious, we packed our cabin-sized bags, made a pizza, watched a movie and slept for a few hours until we have hit the dark streets of morning North East London at 3.30 AM, around the time of the Islamic morning prayer Fajr (فجر), trying to catch the bus to Stansted Airport. This proved to be a little tricky, because Martin, as usual, has decided to find an ATM right before the bus was to arrive. When it arrived, he was nowhere to be found. We have boarded the luggage very slowly and used our Eastern European charms to persuade the driver to wait just a little longer for our friend. The driver's patience was just about to burst when we saw Martin, with his BEST laptop case running towards the bus in huge leaps. The driver had closed the door just before Martin reached for the bus, but fortunately took our pleads, and let him on board.
We arrived to Stansted half an hour later, on a bright sunny morning, before six. Our flight was to depart two hours later, so we slept for a bit and I had managed to capture the panorama picture you can see above. Sleepy we have boarded a plane. Once I got on board, I was wide awake again. It was my first time on a plane (three months earlier I had taken the bus to London - 18hrs!). In just over an hour we could see brown picturesquely shaped fields near Valladolid.
Our first CS experience was just around the corner.
(To be continued)
The opportunity to change climate from London's 4-seasons-in-a-day to Spanish sunny siesta came along with my friend Martin (from We follow the sun). After inviting him to join me in exploring London's possibilities, Martin brought the carefree attitude and imaginativeness of a true traveler. Inspired by his stories, and by being "stuck" in London, we have decided to honor the end of my internship with one final trip, following the sun. For destination we chose Valladolid, a small modern city in Northern Spain, where Martin had spent few eventful party days as a member of BEST (Board of European Students of Technology). For date - the final weekend before my last day at the Institute of Linguists, Monday Sept 15th. Following advices of my former roommate (who was flying to Italy every other week to visit his girlfriend) and Martin's own experience, we booked a Ryanair flight two weeks in advance.
 |
| The Basement |
So with our plane tickets booked (75£ round trip for the three of us, those were the days..), travel guide prepared, my first and only 2 days leave off work, we were almost all set. One last thing missing was accommodation. That's where Martin's couch surfing experience came in. He had explained to us how he hosted people back in his home city in Poprad, Slovakia and how in return he was hosted by by friendly couch surfers in Spain, Poland, Estonia - all in the course of one month.
It goes without saying, that we were very much intrigued by all this. Traveling the world, meeting locals and travelers, all for free. How is that possible? Well - he said - you should become couch surfers too, and find out yourselves! He helped to set up our profiles at http://www.couchsurfing.org, wrote our first reference (reading the references written about possible surfers/hosts helps you to know them better) and helped with our first couch search. We searched for hosts in the Valladolid,Castile y Leon, Spain area (nowadays it comes up with 235 people ;) and then, following Martin's instructions wrote a few couch requests and waited for the answers. Martin was approached by a first-time local host by the name of Jesus Alberto (name Jesus is very common in Spain), while our request was positively answered by a Czech Erasmus student Tomáš. Our first couch surfing experience (first of many) could begin.
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| From 2008-09-11,12 Valladolid |
So, on the eve of Thursday the 11th of Sept we were filled with a range of emotions. Nervous, anxious, we packed our cabin-sized bags, made a pizza, watched a movie and slept for a few hours until we have hit the dark streets of morning North East London at 3.30 AM, around the time of the Islamic morning prayer Fajr (فجر), trying to catch the bus to Stansted Airport. This proved to be a little tricky, because Martin, as usual, has decided to find an ATM right before the bus was to arrive. When it arrived, he was nowhere to be found. We have boarded the luggage very slowly and used our Eastern European charms to persuade the driver to wait just a little longer for our friend. The driver's patience was just about to burst when we saw Martin, with his BEST laptop case running towards the bus in huge leaps. The driver had closed the door just before Martin reached for the bus, but fortunately took our pleads, and let him on board.
We arrived to Stansted half an hour later, on a bright sunny morning, before six. Our flight was to depart two hours later, so we slept for a bit and I had managed to capture the panorama picture you can see above. Sleepy we have boarded a plane. Once I got on board, I was wide awake again. It was my first time on a plane (three months earlier I had taken the bus to London - 18hrs!). In just over an hour we could see brown picturesquely shaped fields near Valladolid.
Our first CS experience was just around the corner.
(To be continued)
Thursday 16 June 2011
Lineup desiateho ročníka festivalu Gdynia Opener Festival 2011 uverejnený!
(written for mojamuzika.sk)
Do otvorenia "poľskej Pohody" ostávajú už len dva týždne, a preto vám prinášame základné informácie o tomto prímorskom, priam plážovom festivale spolu s kompletným line upom uverejneným na oficiálnej stránke festivalu. V tejto reportáži vychádzame z dobrých skúseností našich redaktorov vyslaných na minuloročný Opener 2010.
Opener, ktorý sa odohráva v oblasti baltického trojmestia Gdynia-Gdansk-Sopot pri Gdyňskom sídlisku Babie Doly, je ako už jeho názov napovedá, najväčší open air festival v Poľsku a blízkom okolí (v r. 2009 viac než 60 tisíc návštevníkov každý deň, čo je dva krát viac než na trenčianskej Pohode). Budúceho roku sa dočká okrúhleho desiateho ročníka. Prvý ročník sa odohral v r. 2002 v hlavnom meste Varšava, nasledujúci rok sa presunul k moru do Gdyne a o rok neskôr sa jeho trvanie rozšírilo na dva, v roku 2006 na tri, a konečne minulý rok prvýkrát na štyri večery a noci plné hudby (program sa už tradične začína až o pol piatej poobede).
Napriek tomu, že je festival pomerne mladý - rovnako ako jeho návštevníci, jeho zabezpečenie a hudobné zloženie je na vysokej úrovni, oproti iným Európskym festivalom má výhodu jedinečného spojenia prímorského festivalu s nám blízkou jazykovou kultúrou.
Doprava
Ak si chcete festival vychutnať, v prvom rade sa tam treba dostať:
- autobusom a vlakom - odporúčame cez žilinu - katowice, z východu autobusom z Popradu do Zakopaného a odtiaľ priamy vlak cez Varšavu až do Gdynie - dlhý, ale lacný (ak máte do 26r, treba si pýtať zľavnený lístok, poľsky "ulgowy bilet do dwadzieścia sześć lat", minulý rok v prepočte za neuveriteľných 13€)
Cestovanie vlakom v Poľsku je pohodlné a je sa na čo pozerať, avšak treba počítať so všetkým - i niekoľkohodinovými meškaniami pre povodne i bežný poľský chaos.
- lietadlom - z Bratislavy momentálne len s prestupom v Prahe a Varšave, kto však má záujem o najpohodlnejšie cestovanie a zastávku v modernom , kultúrne bohatom hlavnom meste, je to rozhodne zaujímavá možnosť.
- autom - neodporúčame, ak áno, západnou trasou - dlhá cesta pre dobrodružné povahy
Na Gdyňskej stanici
Keď sa vám podarí dostať už sem (vlakom, autobusom), máte vyhrané.. už na stanici vás privítajú stovky mladých návštevníkov a pracovníci festivalu, ktorí vám, ak máte viacdňové lístky, ich vymenia za náramky už na stanici a posadia vás do kyvadlového autobusu, ktorý vás zadarmo dopraví až pred brány areálu. Kyvadloviek je veľa a chodia nepretržite, preto je jednoduché vyhnúť sa napríklad rannej nude, a objavovať krásy Trojmestia a okolia i počas festivalu.
Lístky
V prvom rade s potešením oznamujeme, že lístky sú stále v predaji cez poľský AlterArt na oficiálnej stránke festivalu , i cez nám známejšie siete Eventim a Ticketpro. Lístky si môžete pohodlne objednať a vytlačiť priamo z domu. Na výber je viacero možností, od jednodňových, až po štvordňové, bez alebo so stanovacím miestom, a dokonca aj s traťovým železničným lístkom SKM 16 - prímestská zrýchlená železnica do Gdynie, vydaným na vaše meno, za 16 Zl, (zhruba 4.19€). Rozhodne si odporúčame zabezpečiť stanovacie miesto spolu s lístkom, vyjde to o polovicu lacnejšie ako osobitne. Máme dobré skúsenosti s možnosťou AlterArt.
V roku 2010, keďže sme na Opener cestovali z neobyčajného Berlínskeho koncertu skupiny Pearl Jam, sme ocenili aj unikátnu možnosť kúpiť si lístky len na tri dni.
Ubytovanie
Je veľmi dôležité, aby ste, ak sa chcete vyhnúť dochádzaniu na festival, zabezpečili lístok s miestom na stanovanie, ideálne už na prvý deň festivalu, 30.6.
Stanovacích miest je síce menej, ale ak prídete skôr, nemusíte sa obávať dlhých prechádzok do areálu.
Kapely:
- tento rok najviac odporúčame - britských indie British Sea Power, ktorí sú na šnúre k svojmu novému bizarne tanečnému, no klasicky rockovému albumu Valhalla Dancehall. Zažijete, čo ste nezažili!
- z ďalších napr. The National, PULP, The Strokes, James Blake, Abraham Inc, Youssou N'Dour (world music je už tradične obsadená veľkými menami na tomto festivale), ako aj notoricky známych Coldplay a Prince.
- z domácich napr Vavamuffin (jedna z najznámejších poľských reaggae kapiel), Janusz Prusinowski Trio (inšpirované tradične poľským folklórom).
Ako na iných, ani na tomto festivale nechýba filmový stage, z ktorého programu odporúčame v prestávkach najmä, v poľsku veľmi obľúbený svetový festival krátkych filmov Future Shorts.
Z iných aktivít dávame do pozornosti Diabelski Młyn, Fashion'er, Kids Zone (pre deti) Signing Tent (unikátny stan, kde sa vám podpíšu hviezdy festivalu) a tradičné Silent Disco. Taktiež sa tam bude odohrávať niekoľko výstav.
Kompletný line up tu:
alebo na oficiálnej stránke ako pdf
Na čo by ste mali myslieť:
-stanové mestečko je rozľahlé, no kapacitne obmedzené - dobre zabezpečené je Toi Toi, a aj proti krádežiam - stanové mestečko je strážené, oplotené a osvietené niekoľkými svetelnými vežami, pri ktorých svetle si, ak máte to šťastie, môžete študovať festival aj v noci.
Zo sebou si treba pripraviť na noc teplé oblečenie - v lete pri mori klesá uprostred noci teplota náhle k nule, a vy sa budíte, že je vám zima, ráno o šiestej už je znovu vyše 20 stupňov.
Samozrejme, treba si pripraviť krémy i pršiplášte, a trpezlivosť do radov na sprchy. Tie, rovnako ako jedlo v rámci areálu, si kupujete za tzv. festivalové "bony" - studená sprcha je zadarmo, teplá (nie vždy funkčná, no menej obsadená) za 3 bony. Tieto bony sa dajú tiež nabiť na špeciálnu platobnú kartu AlterArt, ak by ste sa báli, že ich stratíte - touto kartou sa dá platiť u väčšiny predajcov jedla vnútri festivalu.
V ponuke stanového mestečka je tiež nabíjačkáreň i malý obchodík, tu sa však platí znovu festivalovými bonmi. Za tieto si v areáli môžete napríklad skúsiť i služby ako masáž.
Ak vám bonový systém, alebo široká ponuka jedla v areáli festivalu nevonia, základné pitie a potreby si môžete zakúpiť u nezávislých predajcov pri vstupe do areálu festivalu, neďaleko stanového mestečka, na lokálnej pláži.
Na festivale, ako to už názov napovedá sa čapuje pivo holandského sponzora.
Areál festivalu je delený na dve časti, stanové mestečko, ktoré sa dá v prípade potreby pohodlne obísť priamo do areálu festivalu, kde však človek musí prejsť kontrolou - náramku i bezpečnostnou. Odporúčame si preto so sebou zo stanového mestečka alebo z miesta ubytovania nosiť minimum vecí, žiadne fľaše s vodou - i keď odporúčame napríklad menšie batohy s vakmi na vodu - prejdú cez kontrolu a sú neoceniteľné v horúcom kotli pred pódiom.
Alternatívne ubytovanie - ak ste už príliš pohodlní na stanovanie medzi tínejdžermi, a nevadí vám dochádzanie, v ponuke je široká skála kempingov, hotelov, ubytovní, internátov a pod. Dobrodružnejšie povahy sa môžu spoľahnúť na zjednanie ubytovania priamo na mieste, budú vám ho núkať rôzni ľudia aj počas festivalu.
A čerešnička na vrchol tejto chutnej poľskej torty:
MORE
Ako už napovedali mnohé doterajšie odkazy v popise festivalu, najväčšia výhoda festivalu je jeho prímorská poloha - priamo z areálu je to len 30 min pešo (!) na miestnu piesočnatú pláž, kde vás privíta čapované pivo, ak budete mať šťastie, jeho letná varianta so sirupom (odporúčame príchuť Imbir - zázvor). Na pláž je to ráno krásna prechádzka, nikde nikoho, a nakoniec sa budete mať problém zdvihnúť a ísť aj na tie najväčšie hviezdy festivalu (minulý rok nám takto ušiel začiatok úžasného koncertu Massive Attack).
Kto by nemal mora dosť, užije si ho do sýtosti v nádherných prístavoch Gdansk a Gdynia, i v menšom mestečku Sopot. V minulosti nemecké handlové mestá, dnes moderné poľské prístavy s prímorskou kultúrou, zábavou, vyžitím, i nádhernými historickými pamiatkami.
Dúfame, že sme vás dostatočne navnadili na to, aby ste sa rozhodli pre tento festival. Je to skutočná poľská "awantura".
FOTO/TEXT: Ondrej Koščík (http://ondrejvosvete.blogspot.com)
Do otvorenia "poľskej Pohody" ostávajú už len dva týždne, a preto vám prinášame základné informácie o tomto prímorskom, priam plážovom festivale spolu s kompletným line upom uverejneným na oficiálnej stránke festivalu. V tejto reportáži vychádzame z dobrých skúseností našich redaktorov vyslaných na minuloročný Opener 2010.
Opener, ktorý sa odohráva v oblasti baltického trojmestia Gdynia-Gdansk-Sopot pri Gdyňskom sídlisku Babie Doly, je ako už jeho názov napovedá, najväčší open air festival v Poľsku a blízkom okolí (v r. 2009 viac než 60 tisíc návštevníkov každý deň, čo je dva krát viac než na trenčianskej Pohode). Budúceho roku sa dočká okrúhleho desiateho ročníka. Prvý ročník sa odohral v r. 2002 v hlavnom meste Varšava, nasledujúci rok sa presunul k moru do Gdyne a o rok neskôr sa jeho trvanie rozšírilo na dva, v roku 2006 na tri, a konečne minulý rok prvýkrát na štyri večery a noci plné hudby (program sa už tradične začína až o pol piatej poobede).
Napriek tomu, že je festival pomerne mladý - rovnako ako jeho návštevníci, jeho zabezpečenie a hudobné zloženie je na vysokej úrovni, oproti iným Európskym festivalom má výhodu jedinečného spojenia prímorského festivalu s nám blízkou jazykovou kultúrou.
Doprava
Ak si chcete festival vychutnať, v prvom rade sa tam treba dostať:
- autobusom a vlakom - odporúčame cez žilinu - katowice, z východu autobusom z Popradu do Zakopaného a odtiaľ priamy vlak cez Varšavu až do Gdynie - dlhý, ale lacný (ak máte do 26r, treba si pýtať zľavnený lístok, poľsky "ulgowy bilet do dwadzieścia sześć lat", minulý rok v prepočte za neuveriteľných 13€)
Cestovanie vlakom v Poľsku je pohodlné a je sa na čo pozerať, avšak treba počítať so všetkým - i niekoľkohodinovými meškaniami pre povodne i bežný poľský chaos.
- lietadlom - z Bratislavy momentálne len s prestupom v Prahe a Varšave, kto však má záujem o najpohodlnejšie cestovanie a zastávku v modernom , kultúrne bohatom hlavnom meste, je to rozhodne zaujímavá možnosť.
- autom - neodporúčame, ak áno, západnou trasou - dlhá cesta pre dobrodružné povahy
Na Gdyňskej stanici
Keď sa vám podarí dostať už sem (vlakom, autobusom), máte vyhrané.. už na stanici vás privítajú stovky mladých návštevníkov a pracovníci festivalu, ktorí vám, ak máte viacdňové lístky, ich vymenia za náramky už na stanici a posadia vás do kyvadlového autobusu, ktorý vás zadarmo dopraví až pred brány areálu. Kyvadloviek je veľa a chodia nepretržite, preto je jednoduché vyhnúť sa napríklad rannej nude, a objavovať krásy Trojmestia a okolia i počas festivalu.
Lístky
V prvom rade s potešením oznamujeme, že lístky sú stále v predaji cez poľský AlterArt na oficiálnej stránke festivalu , i cez nám známejšie siete Eventim a Ticketpro. Lístky si môžete pohodlne objednať a vytlačiť priamo z domu. Na výber je viacero možností, od jednodňových, až po štvordňové, bez alebo so stanovacím miestom, a dokonca aj s traťovým železničným lístkom SKM 16 - prímestská zrýchlená železnica do Gdynie, vydaným na vaše meno, za 16 Zl, (zhruba 4.19€). Rozhodne si odporúčame zabezpečiť stanovacie miesto spolu s lístkom, vyjde to o polovicu lacnejšie ako osobitne. Máme dobré skúsenosti s možnosťou AlterArt.
V roku 2010, keďže sme na Opener cestovali z neobyčajného Berlínskeho koncertu skupiny Pearl Jam, sme ocenili aj unikátnu možnosť kúpiť si lístky len na tri dni.
Ubytovanie
Je veľmi dôležité, aby ste, ak sa chcete vyhnúť dochádzaniu na festival, zabezpečili lístok s miestom na stanovanie, ideálne už na prvý deň festivalu, 30.6.
Stanovacích miest je síce menej, ale ak prídete skôr, nemusíte sa obávať dlhých prechádzok do areálu.
Kapely:
- tento rok najviac odporúčame - britských indie British Sea Power, ktorí sú na šnúre k svojmu novému bizarne tanečnému, no klasicky rockovému albumu Valhalla Dancehall. Zažijete, čo ste nezažili!
- z ďalších napr. The National, PULP, The Strokes, James Blake, Abraham Inc, Youssou N'Dour (world music je už tradične obsadená veľkými menami na tomto festivale), ako aj notoricky známych Coldplay a Prince.
- z domácich napr Vavamuffin (jedna z najznámejších poľských reaggae kapiel), Janusz Prusinowski Trio (inšpirované tradične poľským folklórom).
Ako na iných, ani na tomto festivale nechýba filmový stage, z ktorého programu odporúčame v prestávkach najmä, v poľsku veľmi obľúbený svetový festival krátkych filmov Future Shorts.
Z iných aktivít dávame do pozornosti Diabelski Młyn, Fashion'er, Kids Zone (pre deti) Signing Tent (unikátny stan, kde sa vám podpíšu hviezdy festivalu) a tradičné Silent Disco. Taktiež sa tam bude odohrávať niekoľko výstav.
Kompletný line up tu:
Na čo by ste mali myslieť:
-stanové mestečko je rozľahlé, no kapacitne obmedzené - dobre zabezpečené je Toi Toi, a aj proti krádežiam - stanové mestečko je strážené, oplotené a osvietené niekoľkými svetelnými vežami, pri ktorých svetle si, ak máte to šťastie, môžete študovať festival aj v noci.
Zo sebou si treba pripraviť na noc teplé oblečenie - v lete pri mori klesá uprostred noci teplota náhle k nule, a vy sa budíte, že je vám zima, ráno o šiestej už je znovu vyše 20 stupňov.
Samozrejme, treba si pripraviť krémy i pršiplášte, a trpezlivosť do radov na sprchy. Tie, rovnako ako jedlo v rámci areálu, si kupujete za tzv. festivalové "bony" - studená sprcha je zadarmo, teplá (nie vždy funkčná, no menej obsadená) za 3 bony. Tieto bony sa dajú tiež nabiť na špeciálnu platobnú kartu AlterArt, ak by ste sa báli, že ich stratíte - touto kartou sa dá platiť u väčšiny predajcov jedla vnútri festivalu.
V ponuke stanového mestečka je tiež nabíjačkáreň i malý obchodík, tu sa však platí znovu festivalovými bonmi. Za tieto si v areáli môžete napríklad skúsiť i služby ako masáž.
Ak vám bonový systém, alebo široká ponuka jedla v areáli festivalu nevonia, základné pitie a potreby si môžete zakúpiť u nezávislých predajcov pri vstupe do areálu festivalu, neďaleko stanového mestečka, na lokálnej pláži.
Na festivale, ako to už názov napovedá sa čapuje pivo holandského sponzora.
Areál festivalu je delený na dve časti, stanové mestečko, ktoré sa dá v prípade potreby pohodlne obísť priamo do areálu festivalu, kde však človek musí prejsť kontrolou - náramku i bezpečnostnou. Odporúčame si preto so sebou zo stanového mestečka alebo z miesta ubytovania nosiť minimum vecí, žiadne fľaše s vodou - i keď odporúčame napríklad menšie batohy s vakmi na vodu - prejdú cez kontrolu a sú neoceniteľné v horúcom kotli pred pódiom.
Alternatívne ubytovanie - ak ste už príliš pohodlní na stanovanie medzi tínejdžermi, a nevadí vám dochádzanie, v ponuke je široká skála kempingov, hotelov, ubytovní, internátov a pod. Dobrodružnejšie povahy sa môžu spoľahnúť na zjednanie ubytovania priamo na mieste, budú vám ho núkať rôzni ľudia aj počas festivalu.
A čerešnička na vrchol tejto chutnej poľskej torty:
MORE
Ako už napovedali mnohé doterajšie odkazy v popise festivalu, najväčšia výhoda festivalu je jeho prímorská poloha - priamo z areálu je to len 30 min pešo (!) na miestnu piesočnatú pláž, kde vás privíta čapované pivo, ak budete mať šťastie, jeho letná varianta so sirupom (odporúčame príchuť Imbir - zázvor). Na pláž je to ráno krásna prechádzka, nikde nikoho, a nakoniec sa budete mať problém zdvihnúť a ísť aj na tie najväčšie hviezdy festivalu (minulý rok nám takto ušiel začiatok úžasného koncertu Massive Attack).
Kto by nemal mora dosť, užije si ho do sýtosti v nádherných prístavoch Gdansk a Gdynia, i v menšom mestečku Sopot. V minulosti nemecké handlové mestá, dnes moderné poľské prístavy s prímorskou kultúrou, zábavou, vyžitím, i nádhernými historickými pamiatkami.
Dúfame, že sme vás dostatočne navnadili na to, aby ste sa rozhodli pre tento festival. Je to skutočná poľská "awantura".
 |
| From gdynia more |
FOTO/TEXT: Ondrej Koščík (http://ondrejvosvete.blogspot.com)
Thursday 19 May 2011
2011-05-14 "Magic"Longital at SNG
Over the past several months, I've been quite busy with my diploma thesis on Scottish songwriter Eric Woolfson's POE projects (which I "A"ced and which will be described here shortly) and shuttling back and forth between Vranov and Bratislava.
Anyhow, the past weekend we've been to the Night of Museums in
The event had a tag line "don't be afraid of monsters" and it turned out our friends Dano/Shina aka Longital (Slnko records) were among these monsters. They greeted us with a very rare performance in an open space of the Slovak National Gallery.
I have been trying to capture the atmosphere of the space, the careful listeners (a very common sight for this group), and the unique magic of Longital on stage.
Here's also a short video of the mesmerizing performance of Na Horu a Dolu, shot by another photographer, Martina Mlcuchova (here's her report)
Other highlight of the night was an evening visit in the Museum of Jewish Culture, much recommended.
Related posts:
TERAZ means NOW
http://ondrejvosvete.blogspot.com/2010/11/teraz-means-now.html
Wednesday 26 January 2011
Sept 22nd 2006.PJ#1 continued - Pentalogy.
BACK TO MAIN SET
After a short break, I can hear a sudden tuning of a single guitar. The upper string goes down a bit, allowing the singer, alone on his stool, in the dark, to go low key and deliver a very rare performance of Dead Man Walking. This is the first time ever this song has been played as a part of a regular show in Europe. It is a very intimate moment of sharing with the audience and I feel blessed to be a part of it. But before the song starts, Ed catches his breath once again. “I just wanna say thank you.” No, thank you Eddie, I scream with the crowd. After a short pause, a subtle “Ďakujem.” follows from the singer. I am not sure, if I heard right, but either Ed has misheard his translator or had a Slovak one. Indeed, he voiced his gratitude in my mother tongue. He follows with his peculiar mix of English and Czech, holding a piece of paper in his hand: “I just wanna say -- Thato peesnychka jhe o muzhi” [This song is about a man.]
“Sailing on my every step. Inching off of the earth. Is magnified by the things I've done. The thing that I've become.” The tones of a single guitar, and a single man, very much alive, ring out through the stunned hall, which only bursts out after the last notes. When the crowd noise settles down a bit, the singer introduces the next song in the same manner as the previous one: “Thaato piisen je o muzhi” [This song is about a man.] He continues alone into a first verse of another man-song, Man of the hour. “And the road the old man paved. The broken seams along the way The rusted signs, left just for me. He was guiding me, love, his own way”
"He who forgets will be destined to remember". We are destined to remember the show. When I hear the first tones of Nothingman, I know I am part of something special. Not just because this is my first show, or that there is a certain pattern to it. Although this is indeed my first performance, I am not at all unfamiliar to the experiments that the band conducts during their concerts with their setlists and order of songs. There have been times before when the band played these man songs in threes, but never in this order. This is different, there will be more! I think while the song breaks down into a jam: “Oh into the sun, Oh into the sun, burn, burn...”. I forget my calculations and wonder rather about the harmony of instruments - Boom’s Hammond B3 organ, Matt’s drums and his and Eddie’s vocals, Stone’s and Mike’s guitars, Jeff’s subtle acoustic fretless bass.
“Thaato piisnichka je o muzhi” mumbles Eddie, while Matt taps off the beat to the next man-song, Leather Man. Stone speed’s up the band “go, go, go!”, like sending them on a mission. The fourth man song in a row marks a next stage in a memorable show. My first show becomes the first show where the whole set of encores is dedicated to a simple formula:
Dead Man Walking > Man of the Hour > Nothingman > Leatherman > Better Man
“Thaato piisen je o zhene.” [this song is about a woman]. I am laughing from ear to ear when I hear this, as we say back home. I am overflowed with happiness, pure joy and the ability to enjoy God’s humor behind all this. The best known man-song, Better Man, is actually introduced as what it is, a song about a woman who “can’t find a better man.” Hilarious. And the solo? Beyond belief. Save it for Later. Well, not the solo, that is the “tag”, a snippet of a song by The English Beats attached at the end, an obscure influence, but something the audience truly appreciates - a touch of The Who’s Pete Townshend. Over the years, Pearl Jam have brought me and other fans to music they as a band were influenced by: Rolling Stones, The Who, Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, The Police, Ramones, and many others. We have valued their guidance, but to this day, every fan I know places Pearl Jam among these bands as their equal or better.
This is history. And followed by the most historical, of all Pearl Jam songs, the almost mythical Alive, where the chant “I am still alive, I am still alive” goes up towards the roof of Sazka Arena. A year later the singer will comment that the song for him once was a curse and the joyous fans “broke the curse.” It certainly did break a course for me. The crowd roars “hey” with every stroke of Mike Mc Cready’s guitar before he takes us on a ride with final solo of the second encore set.
How does he do it? How do they do it?
I am lost for words, acknowledging what I have just seen was real with the fans left and right. But there's no time to talk tonight. In less than a minute, the band can be heard again. Swinging to the rhythm of the song, Eddie comes back on stage in a shiny tuxedo covered with silver dust, dancing and sporting a rubber mask of George W. Bush, the menace, The Bu$hleaguer. History is followed by farce, burlesque, satire. A man with a mask, a smoke, a sip of wine, a laugh, a kick from the mic stand. The mood becomes festive, but one of a protest. “Like sugar the guests are so refined.”
“I remember when you sang that song about today. Now it's tomorrow and everything has changed” I sing with the room and I remember my first parliamentary election again. What a load of crap! “Change, change, change - chains chains chains” I leave out my all what’s left of my anger here and in the next song of this fast-pacing rock marathon that has already surpassed the highest expectations I could had from my first show. It is Comatose, another two minutes of punk “free of Bush and frictions.” I feel stronger than ever. “High above,... I'll break the law,... If it's illegal To be in love,” I sing and enjoy myself. “Yeah, I'll be hanging upside down. And there I will swing. For all eternity.”
But the beat goes on. Usually not happening so late in a show, Matt gives way to a fast, rapacious
rendition of one of the most beloved of Pearl Jam tunes, Given To Fly. Beaten, torn, sweaty, but ecstatically happy I really feel like a “A human being that was given to fly.” There is nothing before and there's nothing after, just the raw energy of the present moment. The band keeps us “Rocking in the Free World,” with a classic Neil Young blow-out. The foundations of Sazka Arena are humming to a brutal bass tune. More than fifteen thousand fans are dancing. This is not an encore, it is a party celebrating music, friendship, love and freedom. There is a sense of equality between the fans and the band, between the fans and among the band themselves. “There are thousand points of light for the soldier man. Come on, bring him home while we can”, improvises Eddie into Neil Young's lyrics and sets Mike on a solo that lasts several minutes and reaches for heaven itself, where it meets Stone's lead guitar and lets it take over. Certainly no one is a preferred star in this band as they treat us with a concert of our lives.
“Gitara Stone Gossard, gitara Mike McCready, bubone a vocal Matt Cameron, piano Boom Gasper, uh .. vocal - that’s Eddie”, introduces Eddie the band for the last time. “Dhakujem moc krat.” Is it really time to go home? No, Mike protests. He comes forward with his guitar and plays first notes of Yellow Ledbetter, a real jam song, as if made for finishing performances like this. When the band joins for chorus, Jeff comes up to Mike and whispers a dare into his ear. He then incorporates some heavy metal tune into the song. Jeff bows down. During the very last solo, the band leaves, slowly, Ed leaving last with a peace sign and a howl: "Mííííííííííííír --- Thank you. You've been very kind to us. Ďakujem."
28 songs. 3 hours. It’s Sept 23rd after midnight and the day after tomorrow’s supposed to be my first day at the British and American Studies of the Prešov University. But it can wait. I look forward to Pearl Jam in Vienna instead!
TO BE CONTINUED.
You can recreate your own Prague experience here ;)
http://blinkeyeprojects.blogspot.com/2009/02/pearl-jam-prague-06.html
Monday 24 January 2011
Sept 22 2006. Sazka Arena, Prague. PJ#1
"Lives opened and trashed, look ma, watch me crash!.." howls the singer, “Grasp and hold on...we're dyin' fast...Soon be over...and I will relapse...Let the ocean swell, dissolve 'way my past. Three days, and not much longer, when I'm finally here!” I am finally here. Three days I am supposed to embark on this trip, which sole purpose is to see Pearl Jam twice, a band that has formed my world view for the past four years. I am eighteen and for the first time abroad on my own. “Let my spirit pass...This is, this is...This is, this is...This is, this is...My...last exit.”
Barely skipping a beat, the drummer Matt Cameron enters a third fast song in a row, Animal. The crowd around me times the first verse with the singer, snapping their fingers in a “1-2-3-4-5 Against One” gesture. The air is filled with excitement and I can already feel that this concert is different than any music show or production I have yet experienced. My pulse runs high, but my head clears out. I let myself be one with the crowd and the band. Three songs are over oh-so-fast, clearing out the way for Life Wasted, a song from the new record which I feel is just about me.
"I have faced it,... A life wasted,... I'm never going back again. Oh I escaped it,... A life wasted,...I'm never going back again. Having tasted,... A life wasted,...I'm never going back again. Oh I erased it,... A life wasted,...I'm never going back again." Shouting the lyrics from the top of my lungs with the whole arena I remember my insecure, angry days back at the high school. I feel anger and resentment that has driven me during those days again, but I also feel relieved it's over. While these emotions fill me, a r-o-a-r-i-n-g guitar solo takes hold of them. My favourite guitarist Mike McCready is fighting his own battle with the Crohn's disease. The last tones of the solo are drowned in a general discord.
Around me, a large group of Polish fans wearing matching t-shirts start chanting the slogan that is printed on them with the face of late American President, George W. Bush. "You forgot Poland, You forgot Poland, You forgot Poland..." I look around the arena and it is only now that I realize how many Polish flags and fans are in the audience tonight. From now on during the whole show I can spot an enormous red and white flag, several meters in diameter, with the same three words on it.
“You forgot Poland,” I join their merry banter, which only dies out when the singer makes a gesture suggesting he's about the speak. "Toto ja po cesky hrajeme v praze ..chtel bych vam povedet rad bych vam podekoval za to ze nas prijimate ve stoveja-zate praze..we try to make good show for you," he imitates with a bad eastern European accent. It will take me at least a month to decipher the original Czech words behind his hysterical mumbling. Anyway, it leaves me with a smile.
“1-2-3-4-2.. I seem to recognize your face..” The whole arena enters a more festive mood as we sing-a-long to an old classic, Elderly Woman Behind a Counter in a Small Town. During the line "Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away..", we all wave our hands imitating Eddie's gesture of letting go. “I changed by not changing at all, small town predicts my fate. Perhaps that's what no one wants to see” I sing, thinking about my home town in Slovakia, where everyone knows each other. During the next line, everyone in sight joins in unison: “I just want to scream...Hello!”
Eddie picks an e-bow for a raunchy protest song from the new album. "I've felt the earth on Monday - it moved beneath my feet.." we sing together, as I literally feel the ground moving up and down, with the tones of Jeff Ament's bass guitar. “The whole world,... world over. It's a worldwide suicide.”
For the next song I let all my constraints away, placing every phrase with the singer on the top of my lungs. I am no longer the person I was stuttering the chords of this tune on my father's acoustic spaniard when a girl asked me to play something on the guitar I had in school. All I knew back then was to "play C3, let the song protest." The song, called Insignificance dissolutes in an instantaneous jam session.
1-2-3-4, the drummer Matt Cameron times the next song, Marker in the Sand. "God what do you say?!" I ask, while an uptempo beat leads me to a bridge, where the singer wails "I feel a sickness, a sickness coming over me - like watching freedom being sucked straight out to sea.." I remember about my first parliamentary election just a few months ago. It seems so ridiculous now, that my vote has fallen through the cracks, when here is a whole crowd of free people from many countries, having a similar mindset. After Unemployable, another uptight punk classic from the new album, I decide - that’s it, this is a great show! I should just enjoy myself, shouting the lyrics at the top of the lungs, dancing with the fellow fans around me.
Next is You Are, a song from Pearl Jam’s underrated Riot Act album, my first touch with the band. I vibrate together with the effect created on Stone’s guitar. “Sometimes I burn like a dot on the sun, with no one knowing” I feel as I digest the lyrics. The place turns into a huge dance floor, bodies move to the rhythm. Of “Love is a tower of strength to me. / If I am the shoreline, than you’re the sea..You are.”
Another dance song follows, but a sad one. Even called Sad. My friend Lucia Piussi from the band Zive Kvety has called such a song a “happy break up” song, the kind where you just need to shake it off. “A fate we may delay, we say holding on, live within our embrace” In three minutes when it's over, there is no time to swipe the sweat, and barely enough time to breath in for Whipping. Here the mass of people pogoing to the insane beat of Matt Cameron’s drumkit literally whips you up - “Don't mean to push, but I'm being shoved! Oh, I'm just like you, think we've had enough”
No, not enough. An hour into the first set, the band comes up with the one of their most classic jams, Even flow. And again, Mr. Mike McCready on the guitar. As if not playing the song for x-hundredth time, he delivers a soaring solo, riding shivers up and down my spine. About three and a half minutes into the solo, Matt Cameron takes reigns on the drumkit. and beats the crap out of me just in time for a precisely timed chorus, where the whole arena just goes wild with yeah yeah yeahs and ah ah ahs, and the song resolutes and brakes up in solo guitar and drums one more time.
“Gitara Mike McCready, Bubone Matt Cameron”, Eddie appreciates his fellow bandmates and breaths in while Stone Gossard speeds up an old classic, Daughter. When the singer proceeds to lyrics “She holds the hand that holds her down She will...rise above...”, everyone raise their hands up in the air, reaching for the imaginary top. Few lines later, the song slows down and dissolutes into a slow jam, while the fans start chanting “he-eo-eh-eo-ee-ooh”. Magic is in the air. “Hey ho Let’s Go” Eddie adapts Ramones' Blitzkrieg Bop banter and adds a little of his own improvised lyrics: ”Let go, I’m leaving home, mother let go.” The arena echoes his words and claps in unison. “Mother you had me, but I never had you. Father you left me, but I never left you.” Now it is John Lennon's Mother. His voice dies out and so does the song. ”Good vocal,” he complements the crowd.
The band tightens a bit and in Alone, Ed's gibberish “I can’t help my self...”emerges into a staggering guitar solo. Notes are fresh and high, as if it wasn’t a forgotten, old, weird stuff. “Wide awake and he shakes in a panic. Never woke up alone Ever before. Had his woman long as he can remember. Tries to forget, but he can't... he can't....” he sings alone to the crowd.
In Jeremy, the theme of previous two songs is still on, resonating within me: “Daddy didn't give affection And the boy was something mommy wouldn't wear. King Jeremy the wicked Ruled his world”. In the chorus Eddie is beautifully backed on the vocals by Matt. Now the whole arena bounces up and down, and up with the beat of Matt’s drumkit, imitating Eddie’s oh ohs and aaaaaaaahs, and yayayayayayayayeeeahs.
A beastly scream introduces the band’s most violent single up-to-date, Do The Evolution. The dawn of the first set nears - seventeen songs, 93 minutes into the set. The band shows no sign of slowing down. Stone Gossard takes up the horse for a solo, intertwining, mingling his raw tones with a more subtle energy of Mr. Mike McCready.
This is is. This is the place. This is the time. I feel that my life for the past four years has been leading up to this moment. This is where I belong. I don’t know where this road might take me, but there is certainly no turning back. I am relieved. The dose of adrenaline pumping through my head slows down a bit, as does my heart rate. I am here.
TO BE CONTINUED (ENCORES)
In the meantime you can recreate your own Prague experience here ;)
http://blinkeyeprojects.blogspot.com/2009/02/pearl-jam-prague-06.html
Tuesday 18 January 2011
2010 In pictures and dates
Snapshots throughout the year:
When and where..
http://ondrejvosvete.blogspot.com/2010/04/2010-placedate-work-in-progress.html
When and where..
http://ondrejvosvete.blogspot.com/2010/04/2010-placedate-work-in-progress.html
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